Patents by Inventor Steven Robert Brassfield

Steven Robert Brassfield has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7296973
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil having opposite pressure and suction sidewalls joined together at opposite leading and trailing edges and extending longitudinally from root to tip. A plurality of independent cooling circuits are disposed inside the airfoil correspondingly along the pressure and suction sidewalls thereof. A first serpentine circuit is disposed along the pressure sidewall. A second serpentine circuit is disposed along the suction sidewall in parallel with the first circuit. And a third impingement circuit is disposed at the leading edge forward of the first and second circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Aspi Rustom Wadia, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 7293961
    Abstract: A turbine airfoil includes pressure and suction sidewalls spaced apart to define flow channels extending in span and separated by ribs. Side channels are disposed along one sidewall and spaced from the opposite sidewall by the ribs, and a mid channel bridges the sidewalls. The side and mid channels are arranged in a zigzag serpentine cooling circuit alternating therebetween for transferring heat from the sidewall into the mid channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Aspi Rustom Wadia, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 7217092
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall coupled together at a leading edge and a trailing edge, such that a cavity is defined therebetween. A plurality of rib walls extend at least partially between the first and second sidewalls, wherein the plurality of rib walls define at least one cooling circuit having at least three cooling chambers. At least one row of openings extend through at least one of the rib walls, wherein a first of the cooling chambers supplies cooling fluid to the cavity, and the remaining cooling chambers are coupled in flow communication with the first cooling chamber via the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Aspi Rustom Wadia, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 7140835
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes a hollow vane joined to opposite inner and outer bands. The inner band includes a forward lip under the leading edge of the vane, an aft lip under the trailing edge of the vane, and a mounting flange spaced therebetween. An impingement bore extends obliquely and aft from the base of the mounting flange under a corner of the inner band toward the aft lip for impingement cooling thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Baolan Shi, Wenfeng Lu, Joseph Michael Guentert, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Publication number: 20060222496
    Abstract: An airfoil for a gas turbine engine has opposed pressure and suction sidewalls extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil includes an array of radially-spaced apart longitudinally-extending lands which define a plurality of trailing edge slots therebetween. Each of the trailing edge slots has an inlet in fluid communication with an interior of the airfoil and an exit in fluid communication with the trailing edge. At least one of the lands is tapered such that a width of the land measured in a radial direction decreases from the suction sidewall to the pressure sidewall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Applicant: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Steven Robert Brassfield, Michael Danowski, Hardev Singh
  • Patent number: 7008179
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine turbine blade includes a hollow airfoil extending radially from a blade root to a radially outer airfoil tip. The airfoil includes an airfoil outer wall having transversely spaced apart pressure and suction side walls meeting along chordally spaced apart leading and trailing edges of the airfoil. A radially extending cooling air supply channel within the airfoil includes a bank of pins integral with and extending transversely between the pressure and suction side walls. The bank of the pins is tuned such that a natural frequency of the blade associated with an engine forced driving mode of the blade is sufficiently away from a steady state engine operating frequency to substantially avoid natural frequency resonance of the blade during steady state engine operation. The bank of the pins is tuned by locations of the pins within the cooling air supply channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventors: Gerard Anthony Rinck, Jonathan Philip Clarke, Mark Edward Stegemiller, Hardev Singh, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 6984103
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil having pressure and suction sidewalls extending between leading and trailing edges, and from root to tip. A dovetail is joined to the airfoil root at a platform. Three internal cooling circuits extend in span inside the airfoil, and each circuit includes a respective inlet channel commencing in axially adjacent alignment in the dovetail. The inlet channels twist together from the dovetail, through the platform, and into the airfoil behind the leading edge in transverse adjacent alignment across the sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ching-Pang Lee, Steven Robert Brassfield, Chander Prakash
  • Publication number: 20040013515
    Abstract: A turbine blade for a gas turbine engine, including an airfoil and integral dovetail for mounting the airfoil along a radial axis to a rotor disk inboard of a turbine shroud. The airfoil further includes: first and second sidewalls joined together at a leading edge and a trailing edge, where the first and second sidewalls extend from a root disposed adjacent the dovetail to a tip plate for channeling combustion gases thereover; and, at least one tip rib extending outwardly from the tip plate between the leading and trailing edges. The tip rib is oriented so that an axis extending longitudinally therethrough is at an angle with respect to the radial axis for at least a designated portion of an axial length of the turbine blade. Such angle may be substantially the same across the designated portion or may vary thereacross.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Inventors: David Glenn Cherry, Ching-Pang Lee, Chander Prakash, Aspi Rustom Wadia, Brian David Keith, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 6672829
    Abstract: A turbine blade for a gas turbine engine, including an airfoil and integral dovetail for mounting the airfoil along a radial axis to a rotor disk inboard of a turbine shroud. The airfoil further includes: first and second sidewalls joined together at a leading edge and a trailing edge, where the first and second sidewalls extend from a root disposed adjacent the dovetail to a tip plate for channeling combustion gases thereover; and, at least one tip rib extending outwardly from the tip plate between the leading and trailing edges. The tip rib is oriented so that an axis extending longitudinally therethrough is at an angle with respect to the radial axis for at least a designated portion of an axial length of the turbine blade. Such angle may be substantially the same across the designated portion or may vary thereacross.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: David Glenn Cherry, Ching-Pang Lee, Chander Prakash, Aspi Rustom Wadia, Brian David Keith, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 6474948
    Abstract: The third-stage buckets have airfoil profiles substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in inches in Table I wherein Z is a perpendicular distance from a plane normal to a radius of the turbine centerline and containing the X and Y values with the Z value commencing at zero in the X, Y plane at the radially innermost aerodynamic section of the airfoil and X and Y are coordinates defining the airfoil profile at each distance Z. The X, Y and Z values may be scaled as a function of the same constant or number to provide a scaled-up or scaled-down airfoil section for the bucket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Peter Paul Pirolla, Gunnar Leif Siden, David John Humanchuk, Steven Robert Brassfield, Paul Stuart Wilson
  • Patent number: 6428273
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes vanes joined to outer and inner bands. Each vane includes opposite sidewalls extending between leading and trailing edges, with an internal bridge extending between the sidewalls to effect forward and aft cavities. Side ribs extend along the sidewalls and project inwardly into the cavities. Each of the side ribs is truncated adjacent the bridge to uncouple the ribs therefrom and increase nozzle life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Mark Edward Stegemiller, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Publication number: 20020090294
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes vanes joined to outer and inner bands. Each vane includes opposite sidewalls extending between leading and trailing edges, with an internal bridge extending between the sidewalls to effect forward and aft cavities. Side ribs extend along the sidewalls and project inwardly into the cavities. Each of the side ribs is truncated adjacent the bridge to uncouple the ribs therefrom and increase nozzle life.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Publication date: July 11, 2002
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Mark Edward Stegemiller, Steven Robert Brassfield
  • Patent number: 6382908
    Abstract: A nozzle vane includes a row of trailing edge apertures and cooperating inboard slots joined in flow communication with a mid-chord cavity. An outboard slot is spaced outwardly from a respective last one of the inboard slots, and outboard of a respective last one of the trailing edge apertures. The outboard slot extends behind a fillet between the vane and a supporting band and is effective for backside cooling thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sean Robert Keith, Judd Dodge Tressler, Steven Robert Brassfield, John Peter Heyward
  • Patent number: 6382906
    Abstract: An impingement baffle for a turbine nozzle vane includes a perforate sleeve for discharging impingement air therethrough. A cap closes the sleeve at a top end, and includes an inlet hole. A spoolie cup includes a flange at the bottom thereof which is disposed atop the cap around the inlet hole for channeling air therein. A retainer is joined to the cap to loosely trap the cup flange thereatop for permitting limited lateral sliding movement thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Steven Robert Brassfield, Judd Dodge Tressler, Alan Lionel Webb